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Dec 30, 2023

Stir-Fried Romaine Lettuce with Garlic Chili

This Stir-Fried Romaine Lettuce with Garlic Chili is a surprisingly crisp and refreshing hot dish that can be served as a side dish with stir-fries, soups, and braises. 

Stir-Fried Romaine Lettuce with Garlic Chili in a bowl.


This romaine lettuce stir-fry is a quick, easy, and wonderful way to enjoy a light and crispy vegetable side dish, especially when you are bored with salads. Plus, it's a great way to use that "about-to-wilt" extra head of lettuce you bought so you don't let it go to waste. 

Dec 25, 2023

Buttermilk, Herb, and Fontina Cheese Muffins

Serve these buttermilk, herb, and fontina cheese muffins for breakfast, for a snack, or with soup and salad for dinner. They are savory, filled with herbs, and loaded with cheesy goodness. 

Buttermilk, Herb, and Fontina Cheese Muffins in a bread basket.


These muffins are savory, cheesy, and especially fabulous as a substitute for bread with dinner. 

Dec 24, 2023

Eggnog Cookie Bars

These eggnog cookie bars, with a layer of eggnog shortbread topped by a layer of eggnog cheesecake and then sprinkled with more shortbread cookie dough, are a wonderful holiday dessert. 

Eggnog Cookie Bars on a light green plate.


If you have some leftover eggnog, this is a great dessert for using it up. Then again, these eggnog cookie bars are actually worth buying eggnog just to make them. 

Dec 20, 2023

French Berry Cake | Gâteau aux Baies

Fill this delicious French Berry Cake with raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, or a combination of all of these fresh berries. 

French Berry Cake Slices.


This Berry Cake, or Gâteau aux Baies, is an easy cake to make, and the resulting dessert is so simple yet elegant (the little black dress of desserts)! With a hint of lemon in the cake along with the fresh berries, it's perfect for an afternoon snack, family dessert, or for a holiday dinner party. 

Dec 16, 2023

Pear and Almond Tart

This pear and almond tart is an elegant, sophisticated, and delicious dessert that is also super easy to prepare. 

Pear and Almond Tart on a plate in front of the original tart.



This pear tart begins with an almond flour crust that is par-baked. Then, you spread on a frangipane-style filling, then tuck in some sliced poached or canned pears, brush the pears with butter, and sprinkle everything with sparkling sugar before baking.

Fougasse Bread with Herbs de Provence and Gruyère Cheese

This fougasse with herbes de Provence and a sprinkling of Gruyère is a crust lover's dream that you can enjoy warm straight from the oven. 

Fougasse Bread with Herbs de Provence and Gruyère Cheese in a basket.


Fougasse is a French-style flatbread. It's similar to Italian focaccia, but is shaped more like pizza dough, in that it is stretched rather than dimpled. Finally, it's slit in sections to resemble an ear of wheat (or even a ladder) before baking. 

Dec 12, 2023

Croissant Bread (Pull-apart Laminated Loaf)

This croissant bread is crispy and flaky on the outside and light and layered on the inside. You'll love peeling off layers of this amazing bread and spreading them with jam. 

Croissant Bread in a pan.


You can also just slice this bread and get creative. You don't need any butter because this bread is layered in butter before baking, just like a croissant. 

Dec 10, 2023

Mofo Gasy - Madagascar Yeasted Pancakes

Mofo gasy is a tasty puffy round mini-pancake that is a popular breakfast food sold by street vendors in the island nation of Madagascar. 

Mofo Gasy on a bowl with raspberries.


Mofo gasy are little yeasted pancakes that include rice and sweetened condensed milk. They are typically enjoyed with hot coffee and fruit and are cooked over charcoal at stands along the side of the road by food vendors. 

Dec 6, 2023

Red, White, and Green Polvorones (Mexican Sugar Cookies)

These red, white, and green polvorones are crispy on the outside and soft and crumbly on the inside. They are very similar to a cross between a shortbread cookie and a softer sugar cookie. 

Red, White, and Green Polvorones (Mexican Sugar Cookies) in a bowl.


Polvorón is a generic name for cookie also used in Spain, the Phillipines, and Latin America. The word in Spanish translates to "powder." It’s pretty much meant to describe the crumbly nature of the cookie!

Dec 4, 2023

Orange Biscochos

These biscochos, cookies flavored with oranges, cinnamon, vanilla, and ginger, are a favorite Christmas cookie in El Paso and New Mexico. Plus, they are seriously tasty. 

Orange Biscochos in a bowl.

 

These cinnamon sugar cookies are also the official state cookie of New Mexico, where they are called biscochitos (or bizcochitos). 

Dec 2, 2023

Czech Christmas Bread (Vánočka)

This Czech Christmas bread, or Vánočka, is a celebration bread made with a lightly sweetened dough filled with raisins and topped with almonds. 

Slices of Czech Christmas Bread (Vánočka).


I did not grow up with a celebration bread tradition. I had no idea there was a whole world out there of wonderful celebration breads, including Christmas.